NEW BRUNSWICK – With more snow and heavy rain in the forecast, New Jersey Blood Services (NJBS), a division of New York Blood Center (NYBC) is asking donors to roll up their sleeves to replenish our community blood supply.

Many communities are still digging out from the accumulated snow, and getting hit with more — which hampers attendance at blood drives and means cancelled appointments at donor centers. The supply of some blood types – notably O-negative, which can be transfused into anyone in an emergency situation – is now below the minimum “safety level.”

“We’re confident of our ability to supply our 200 partner hospitals with whatever they need, but a lot of snow means we need a lot of extra help from our donors,” said NYBC Vice President Rob Purvis. There is no substitute for human blood, and about one in seven hospital admissions requires a blood transfusion. Blood is especially important for people with leukemia, other forms of cancer and, of course, for trauma victims.

Three factors are combining together to prompt NYBC’s emergency declaration:

Many blood drives have been cancelled because of accumulated or predicted snowfall.

Many donors haven’t been able to make scheduled donation appointments due to the weather.